First things first: credit where credit is due. From Perez Hilton rumor to Pitchfork speculative item to Le Tigre official confirmation--Xtina's album, when (er, if) it comes out in April, will feature songwriting contributions from NYC's most badass electro-feminist OGs. "Needless to say," writes the group on their official website, "for a feminist band obsessed with pop music, it was pretty much a dream come true." The trio's account of how the collaboration came to be is alternately harrowing and fascinating:

Around this time last year we got word that Deceptacon was Christina's jam and that she wanted to work with Le Tigre on some new songs. At first we were tormented by the goal of writing "another Deceptacon" for her, wondering how to crack the code to its energy and production style ("shit, do we have to find an HR16-B on eBay and synch-up a fast beat with a warped guitar sample on an antique Mirage?!") plus we wanted to write melodies that would showcase Christina's incredible voice. The pressure was on! But we quickly realized that we just had to be ourselves and put our hearts into pulling together our best demos to play for her.

Etc. The upshot?

Together we tailored themes and specific references to her personality and image but found a ton of common ground in our aim to make upbeat danceable tracks celebrating female friendship, strength, and of course, PARTYING. And while the giant sound of her stacked vocals and the pop sheen she lends to the tracks might seem at odds with Le Tigre's aesthetic roots, it really works. The songs have a lot of elements we're known for, like a garage guitar sound, schoolyard chants, new wave-y synths, electro beats, and somehow it all sounds crazily right with Christina's unbelievable voice. We hope you get to hear the songs sometime soon!

We also hope to hear the songs soon--God knows nothing is a given when so many people have so much riding on a record. (At this late, stricken stage of the industry game, Christina Aguilera remains that rarest thing: a proven commodity.) But we can say with confidence at this point that Xtina's taste is on point in 2010--she's also had M.I.A., Santigold, and Ladytron in the booth with her at various points. The funny thing is that if this all goes well, we're imagining something very much like the Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. Which is bound for a critical resurrection any day now, not that it ever deserved the scorn it got. Electro-embarraso futurism, let's go! [Le Tigre, via Pitchfork]